Veterinary mouth-speculum.



A. LITTAUER. VETERINARY MOUTH SPEGULUM. 7 APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1913.

1,089,653. Patented Mar. 10, 19m

WITNE s l f WENTOR I I v W WWW/ms lllhll l h S ATES PATN ALFRED LITTAEQEQQQN, NEW YORK.

VETERINARY MOUTH-SPEOULUM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 1W3 1Q, 1914 Application filed September 5, 1913. Serial No. 788,209.

rosaess.

hers are opened, these clamping clutch members slide easily along the lower clutch members, but upon reverse movement, the thrust transmitted to the brace arms cramps the members 21, so that they bind diagonally against the upper and lower surfaces of the jaw members 11, as ilKllCt ted in Fig. 2. In order to make the holding absolutely sure, one of the surfaces against which each clutch member binds, in this instance the upper surface of the jaw member 11, is serrated, as shown at 23, and it will e understood that it is the purpose of these serrations to To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED LITTAUER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented the followingdescribed Improvements in Veterinary lliloutlrSpecula.

The object of this invention is to provide a veterinary mouth speculum which is of simple, strong and convenient construction, and which may be held at substantially any degree of separation, thus enabling the in strmnent to be adjusted exactly to the desired extent of mouth opening and with cerafford a more definite and positive grip tainty against accldental closing. upon the aw member, thus msuring added .ln the accompanying drawings 1llustratreliability to the locking effect. The serrations may be very fine or close together for this purpose and hence do not materially affect the gradual character of the opening of the jaws; that is to say, the jaws may be opened to any position, immediately locking in such position without requiring to be partially closed in order to bring the clutch into cramping relation. A spring also acts upon the clutch member 21, to hold it in normally canted relation to braces, that is to say, in the illustrated construction, to the lower jaw member 11 of each pair, and thus insure the binding and locking action taking place instantly upon stopping of the opening movement of the jaw members or the application of force tending to close them. The drawing illus trates a strong and simple form of spring for the purpose, the same comprising a flat spring 24 secured by side of the brace arm and curved at 26 to overlie and conform to the hinge joint between the same and the clutch member, against which latter it bears at its extremity. For conveniently releasing the clutch members in opposition to these springs, so as to permit the jaw members to close, the said members are provided with downwardly projecting trigger-like handles 27. It will be understood that the locking mechanism is the same at both sides of the instrument.

W hat I claim as new is:

1. A veterinary mouth speculum comprising hinged jaw members provided with bits, and a cramping connection holding the jaw members at substantially any degree of opening.

2. A veterinary mouth speculum comprising, in combination, two pairs of hinged jaw IDGIIllJGI'S, bits connecting the corresponding ing the invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the speculum in use; and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the lock or holding device.

The speculum comprises two pairs of jaw members 10, 11, each a duplicate of the other, and adapted to be disposed at opposite sides of the horses mouth, the members of each pair being hinged or pivotally connected to each other at their narrow ends, as indicated at 12, and connected with the members of the opposite pair by means of two bit members 13, 14:, detachably connected at the forward ends of the said jaw members. These bit members receive and provide a bearing for the animals teeth, as clearly shownin the drawings. The hinged frame thus formed may be held in place by straps 15, 16, fastened to eyes 1? formed on the upper jaw members 10 and passing in any convenient manner over the animals head.

The separation of the jaw members is maintained by a cramp lock which, by its capacity to bind on the lower jaw member enables the operator to adjust the speculum to the exact degree to which the animals jaws may be forced apart and beyond which the animal cannot open them farther, the construction being such that the efforts of the animal to close its jaws only increases the security of the locking effect.

The lock comprises a brace arm or strut 18, pivoted at 19 between ears on the lower side of each upper jaw member, and a loop form clutch member 21 embracing the complementary lower jaw member and hingejointed to the arm by a pin 22 passing through bifurcations at the upper end of the loop and through the end of the arm re ceived therebctween. When the jaw memthe part which it cm-- screws 2? to the upper jaw members at opposite sides, brace arms one of which is pivotally connected with one jaw member at each side, and cramping clutch loops aivotally connected to said brace arms and cooperating with the other jaw members.

3. A veterinary mouth speculum, comprising hinged jaw members, and a pivotal arm and pivotal cramping clutch member 10 for adjustably holding said jaws apart.

i. A veterinary mouth speculum, comprising hinged jaw members, bits, and means for holding the jaw members and bits apart comprising a brace arm pivoted to one of the jaws, a pivotal cramping clutch member adjustably connecting said arm and the complementary jaw member, and a spring acting to cant the clutch member with respect to the part embraced thereby.

5. A veterinary mouth speculum, comprising hinged jaw members, bits, and means for holding the jaw members and bits apart comprising a brace arm pivoted to one of the jaws, a pivotal cramping clutch member adjustably connecting said arm and the complementary jaw member, serrations engaged by one edge of the clutch member, and a spring acting to cant the clutch member with respect to the part embraced thereby.

6. In a veterinary mouth speculum having so a pair of bits, hinged jaw members adapted. to support the same, an arm pivoted to one of the jaw members, a cramping clutch member connected by a pivot joint to said arm and embracing the complementary jaw memher, and a flat spring secured to said arm and curved to overlie said joint and bear against the clutch member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED LITTAUER.

Witnesses G. A. TAYLoR, K. L. Tnanr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

